If you just got an iPod Shuffle, you might be wondering how to set it up and fortunately, that is fairly simple. First, make sure you have iTunes on your computer and if not, you can download it for free at iTunes.com. When you have iTunes downloaded, plug your iPod Shuffle into your computer and you will see a “Welcome to Your New iPod” message with a “Continue” button that you should click on. After you have done that you will see the legal terms of use for your iPod Shuffle, the iTunes Store, and iTunes. You need to agree to those terms and then click on the Continue button again.
After you have agreed to the legal terms and clicked on Continue, you will see where to register for or sign into your existing Apple ID/iTunes account. Fill out the required information to login or register and then click on the Continue button. From this point you will be able to register your iPod with Apple and then click on the Submit button when you have filled out all the information that is requested on that screen.
After registering your iPod Shuffle with Apple, you will be able to name it and that name will be used by iTunes when you sync with it. You can always change this name later if you want, so any name will do for setting your iPod Shuffle up and then move on to the options. The first couple of options you will have to choose from is whether you want your iPod Shuffle to automatically sync or if you want to manually manage your music. You can then choose to Enable VoiceOver is you want your iPod Shuffle to speak menu items, song names and artist names to you. If you do choose it, there is another screen that will take you through the prompts for setting that up. When you have finished making these choices for your iPod Shuffle, click on the Done button.
When you have set your choices for automatic or manual syncing and whether or not to use VoiceOver, you will be directed to the iPod management screen. This screen will appear every time you sync your Shuffle and is where you can control the settings and what contents get synced to your Shuffle.
In the management screen for your iPod Shuffle, you will see Versions and Options. The versions box is where you can check to see if you need to update your iPod Shuffle or restore your Shuffle from a previous backup. The Options box has quite a few other settings to choose from.
The iPod Shuffle Options Settings include choosing to automatically open iTunes if your Shuffle is connected to your computer and if you only want to sync checked songs. You can also choose to Enable Sound Check and this option will equalize the volume of all songs for a more even listening experience. Another choices you can make from the options box is to convert higher bit rate songs into 128 kbps AAC in order to save space so you can download more songs.
Other choices that you will find in the Options box of your iPod Shuffle management screen is if you want to enable disk use or not and this option allows you to use the storage space on your Shuffle to store files and use it like a removable hard drive. You can choose to limit the maximum value of your Shuffle and this is good if you are worried about children playing it too loudly.
While you are still in your iPod Shuffle management screen, you will see some tabs at the top of the screen. The Music tab will let you control what music gets synced to your Shuffle. The Sync Music tab will let you add music from your iTunes account to your shuffle and you can also choose to sync your entire music library if you want. You can also sync certain playlists, artists or genres of music as well. Another option you can choose is to automatically fill free space with songs and this option will fill any unused space on your Shuffle with music that hasn’t been synced to it already.
You will also notice other syncing options in the tabs at the top of the management screen for your iPod Shuffle. These tabs will help you sync other types of audio content such as podcasts, audiobooks and lectures. You will be able to sync all of this type of content at the same time, or individually, the same way you can sync your music.
When you have finished choosing your syncing options, click on Save. Your iPod Shuffle is now set up and ready to enjoy.